Chapter 269 Night Attack

Chapter 269 Night Attack

Chapter 269 Night Attack
It was sunny on October 28th, the third year of Yongjia in the Great Jin Dynasty.

Early in the morning, the army broke camp and set off, leaving Liuquan and heading east.

Liuquan is a township belonging to Yiyang County.

In fact, most of the Luoshui River Valley belongs to Yiyang County, and Liuquan is just the easternmost one. The township is located 20 miles east of Yiyang in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, near the present Liuquan Town, and Liuquan Posthouse was established in the Tang Dynasty.

There are only a few people left in Liuquan Township. The land is barren, the houses are dilapidated, and the place looks quite desolate.

Some Hun cavalry lived in the few intact houses.

They are really brave. One person with three horses will conduct close reconnaissance and harass you repeatedly, making sure that you will not be able to catch up with them.

When the army broke camp and set off, and sent the cavalry forward, they didn't even leave, but stayed far away, staring at the troops with vicious eyes.

During this time, several riders left. Everyone knew that they were going to report the news. Perhaps, within a day, a large number of Xiongnu cavalry would come and try to devour their troops.

They had a huge psychological advantage because the Jin army was "deaf and blind" and had no idea of ​​the deployment of the Xiongnu army or where it was moving, so it was very easy to deal with them - it was like playing a game, when the opponent turns his head to look at your screen and knows your specific deployment, but you know nothing about the opponent's situation.

Shao Xun stood on a baggage cart, observed silently for a long time, then suddenly got off the cart, jumped on his horse, and galloped out with more than a hundred personal soldiers.

The well-rested war horses ran very fast, and the Luo River happened to bend not far ahead, which was not conducive to large-scale maneuvers.

Dozens of Xiongnu cavalry saw more than a hundred cavalrymen rushing out of the chariot array, and they immediately scattered and retreated. However, as they ran, they were blocked by the Luo River and had to turn northeast, but as soon as they turned, they were immediately blocked.

Shao Xun took out the horn bow given by Liu Yuan and fired five arrows while riding a horse, killing three people and hitting a horse, but one arrow missed.

The commander was so brave that the soldiers in the chariot formation were greatly encouraged and cheered.

The personal soldiers following Shao Xun were even more excited. They almost pushed their horses to the limit and crashed into the crowd of Hun cavalry.

With a thrust of the horse spear, a corpse was thrown out.

With a swing of the halberd, some heads were even cut off directly.

There were also people who sprinted at high speed, and their lances almost broke when they pierced into the enemy soldiers' bodies, which showed how deep their hatred was.

Yes, these Hun cavalry were so annoying that everyone wished they would die right where they were.

They don't dare to engage in direct combat, so they harass you repeatedly. Sometimes they even get close to you and shoot an arrow when you aren't paying attention, then flee on horseback.

When the army set up camp to collect firewood, the auxiliary soldiers dared not go out alone. They had to be escorted by infantry and cavalry who were on high alert, which made everyone very tired.

This time, taking advantage of their carelessness, he finally got the chance to give them a good beating and teach the Huns a lesson.

It’s so refreshing!

After the pursuit was almost over, Shao Xun ordered the horses left behind by the Huns to be collected, and then withdrew his troops back to the chariot formation.

Wherever they passed, the soldiers burst into cheers.

Shao Xun laughed loudly, saying that a general should boost morale at the right time.

Even if it was just a trivial victory, even if only twenty or thirty enemy cavalry were killed, as long as the soldiers saw the enemy fleeing in a panic and dying miserably, it would boost morale.

The Huns were human beings, not gods, and they also made mistakes.

Keep calm, observe quietly, and strike quickly when the opportunity comes, and you will always reap rewards.

After this successful surprise attack, the Hun cavalry became much quieter.

They kept a safe distance and kept an eye out for nearby obstacles such as woods, river bends, houses, etc. to ensure that they would not be easily caught up.

As the distance increased, the infantrymen in the chariot formation also relaxed a lot. Especially the auxiliary soldiers, who no longer stared at the enemy nervously, and their energy and physical strength consumption was greatly reduced.

On the evening of the 29th, the army arrived at Jiuqu and began to set up camp.

This place is already within the territory of Henan County and is under the jurisdiction of Henan County.

The Land of Nine Turns, as the name suggests, is winding, has complex terrain, and has nine sections of slopes.

This is the infantry's home ground. If the cavalry rushes over, their speed will be greatly reduced and they will be easily slaughtered.

That night, there was a dense sound of horse hooves in the wild, shaking the earth and the sky, and could be heard from miles away. Even a fool could tell that a large-scale Xiongnu cavalry unit had arrived.

As for their purpose, it is nothing more than to destroy the Jin Army, which is mainly composed of the Silver Spear Army, or to delay their actions and prevent the Silver Spear Army from participating in other battlefields.

Shao Xun remained unmoved, organized the soldiers to take turns to rest, and fought with the enemy.

He is now facing the same situation as Song Zhou during the Battle of Mengjin - there are too few soldiers on hand, and no one will come to reinforce except Li Chong's troops.

But he dared to gamble that the Huns were short of food and supplies, and would not be able to outlast him or capture his camp.

It doesn’t really matter if you lose the bet. At most you can just retreat back to Yiyang City for supplies.

See who can outlast whom.

******
Just as Shao Xun led his troops to Jiuqu and set up camp on the spot, the siege had just ended about eighty miles west of Luoyang City.

The troops that went into battle were 10,000 men under the command of General Anbei Zhao Gu. They first cleared the periphery, and then engaged in a fierce battle with more than 4,000 men under the command of Chen Yan, the commander of the Duzhi Division, and Mi Huang, the commander of the Sili Division. After fighting for a whole day, they were finally defeated with the assistance of the Xiongnu cavalry.

Chen and Mi retreated back into the city to rest, and the former Pingyang prefect Song Chu led 5,000 Yuzhou soldiers to replace them.

Zhao Gu sent people to attack, but they were repelled and more than 500 soldiers were killed. The battle for the day ended there.

In other words, the Huns' so-called siege did not even touch the edge of the city wall, and they are still circling the residential area outside Luoyang.

With their weak siege capability, it was almost impossible to capture Luoyang unless the defenders collapsed. That night, Liu Cong ordered Wang Mi to stop attacking Yiyang and lead his troops eastward, traveling day and night, to Luoyang via Xin'an.

King Liu Jing of Ruyin led 10,000 cavalrymen to cruise between Shan County and Xin'an, and ambushed in places where troops were hidden. Once Shao Xun's troops went north, they would look for opportunities to annihilate them.

On the morning of the 30th, Zhao Gu continued to attack the city, but Song Chu fought back against the city.

In the afternoon, the Han general Hu Yanhao led thousands of Xiongnu and miscellaneous Hu soldiers to dismount and fight on foot, and attacked Ximing Gate again.

Song Chu did not dare to play tricks and went to the front line in person to boost morale. Finally, he led the Yuzhou soldiers to defeat them.

In the evening of that day, Song Chu's troops were exhausted after a long battle and returned to the city to rest.

General Peng Mo led 5,000 Yanzhou soldiers out of the city to take over the position.

For two consecutive days, the two sides fought fiercely outside Ximing Gate, and overall the Jin army had the upper hand.

Zhao Gu was just the lord of a fort, and the so-called infantry under his command were mostly fort guards. Even with the assistance of the Xiongnu cavalry, they still suffered heavy losses and were unable to advance to the city.

Finally, the Huns took to the battlefield themselves, using their cavalry as infantry, but their performance was still dismal.

Han's General Huyan Hao had no choice but to retreat from Ximing Gate as the morale of the army was crushed. He stationed in the ruins of the fortress built by Zhang Fang. At the same time, he quickly informed Liu Cong and asked him to make the decision.

October passed without any major incidents.

When the sun on the first day of November rose from the eastern horizon, a group of nobles came to the top of the Ximing Gate Tower.

The weather was very nice, there was no wind and the sun was warm on my body.

Sima Yue felt that his physical condition had improved, so he went to the top of the city wall himself to boost morale.

Wherever he went, the cheers from the soldiers were a bit perfunctory, but they were still a show of respect, which made him feel better.

He Lun, Wang Bing and other trusted generals followed closely behind, while Beigong Chun stood a little further away.

In addition to military generals, there were also staff members such as Wang Yan, Pan Tao, and Liu Yu.

Everyone was in a good mood. The Huns' clumsy fighting skills on foot had been exposed. From the moment the tiger skin was punctured, people's hearts were settled. At least Luoyang City was safe.

In field battles, the Huns might be able to dominate with their cavalry.

They can't attack the city.

"Today, the Huns attacked Dongyang Gate and were repelled again. Their strength can be seen after several failed sieges." It is true that the pain has been forgotten after the wound has healed. The Zhonglang Wang, who was in a panic a few days ago, is now in high spirits again. He speaks with full energy, his crown and belt fluttering, and he looks quite immortal.

"That's right." Military officer Zhao Mu said with a smile, "The king's army only needs to guard the gates and wait for the Xiongnu to retreat."

"When the Xiongnu retreat, perhaps we can do the same as last year and pursue them closely, and we can win a great victory."

"Bo Dao is wrong. The Xiongnu have many cavalry. If we pursue them rashly, we may lose soldiers and generals, which will greatly undermine their morale. We should calm them down at that time."

"Exactly. You don't need to do anything, just wait for the Huns to retreat. The more you do, the more mistakes you make; the less you do, the fewer mistakes you make."

Several aides echoed the same opinion, which made Beigong Chun frown.

Liu Yu and others also felt that it was too outrageous. Is it really a good idea to passively take a beating?
"Si Tu." Beigong Chun stepped forward and said earnestly, "The Xiongnu's siege is not going well and their army is in turmoil. If we don't counterattack now, when will we counterattack? I would like to select the bravest men in Liangzhou and send them out of Ximing Gate to defeat the enemy."

"The bandits have retreated to Zhang Fang's old camp. The surrounding terrain is open and we are afraid they will be surrounded by their cavalry. Are you sure?" Before Sima Yue could speak, Liu Yu took a half step forward and asked.

"I also have cavalry, so why should I be afraid of the Huns?" Beigong Chun said loudly.

Sun Xun, a military officer, listened to the whole thing and said, "The soldiers of Liang are indeed brave, but the Xiongnu are cunning. If they retreat now, they may be trying to lure us out to attack."

"General Sun is right. Perhaps this is a plan of the Huns, but so what?" Beigong Chun raised his head, looked at everyone, and said, "Why fight a war if we are afraid of this and that?"

Everyone was frightened by his gaze and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Beigong Chun looked at Sima Yue again, bowed deeply, and said: "Please allow me to send troops to defeat the enemy. Everyone has their own responsibilities. I will lead my troops to fight, and Situ does not need to send anyone to support me. Even if we fall into the trap, only my troops will be harmed, and the overall situation will not be affected."

Sima Yue looked displeased.

What do you mean there is no need to send anyone to pick them up? What is that? Are you feeling emotional?
Wang Yan saw this and thought it might be bad, so he said, "Why is the Beigong governor in such a hurry? Knowing that there might be a trick, why do you still insist on going? Besides, even if you want to leave the city and defeat the enemy, now is not the time."

He pointed at the rising sun and said with a smile, "Why not conserve your energy first, and wait until the second half of the night when the enemy is exhausted, then select the best soldiers and attack the city at night. Even if we are defeated, we won't be wiped out."

When Beigong Chun heard this, he thought it made sense, so he stopped talking and just looked at Sima Yue with an earnest look.

"Si Tu, the Grand Commandant said that we could launch a night attack outside the city. We might want to give it a try." Sun Xun thought about it and felt that this would be more reliable than attacking in broad daylight, so he stopped opposing it and turned to support Beigong Chun.

After two aides spoke in agreement, Sima Yue became a little hesitant. He looked at Liu Yu, his most admired aide.

"Si Tu, I agree with the night attack." Liu Yu said.

Sima Yue thought about it and nodded reluctantly in agreement, but he was unhappy with Beigong Chun's attitude, so he said: "Appoint Guard General Jia Yin as the general, Beigong Chun as his deputy, and recruit warriors with a large sum of money to attack the bandit camp at night."

Jia Yin was the great-grandson of Jia Xu. When the previous emperor was the crown prince, Yin served as a close attendant.

His ancestral home is Wuwei, so he can barely be considered a Liangzhou native.

Jia Yin was the main general and Beigong Chun was the deputy general. If most of the warriors recruited were from Liangzhou, it would not cause any disaster. It could be considered a compromise.

Everyone had no objection, and Beigong Chun also responded loudly.

The matter was settled.

(End of this chapter)